Homemade bread

Do you think there is a scent out there that can make your home smell as good as it does when there's bread baking in the oven?

I don't think so either.

There's a reason Realtors suggest you bake before you have an Open House. It really is the most amazing thing for the senses.

But....there is a price to pay for that lovely scent. You have to bake the bread! How do you feel about baking? Total bummer? Total torture? Fun experiment? Pure bliss?

I wasn't sure where I fell on this spectrum of emotions having never actually baked bread. When I say bread, I'm not referring to quick breads like banana, zucchini, etc. I'm talking about the kind that needs yeast, kneading, flour, more kneading, and did I mention...kneading! The intimidating kind!

We swear by this cookbook in our house and use it all the time. It's a great resource and the recipes are pretty much guaranteed, so I used their recipe for American Sandwich Bread and I have to say, I kind of enjoyed making it.

There were a few issues... I couldn't figure out why my dough wasn't forming a ball in the food processor so I just kept adding flour (apparently a no-no). Turns out, I had the wrong blade on there, which might have been part of the problem. Duh!

Ultimately, I was quite pleased with the results. It was a bit 'doughy' but the book tells me this is what happens when you add too much flour. It was good enough though that Cam broke down in happiness when he came home from work (I baked strategically at about 5pm so that the scent would still be lingering when he got home and he would think I to be a domestic goddess!). And, good enough that I think I'll give it another go. We'll see when that happens!

What about you guys? Do you have bread recipes that you enjoy making? Do you think there's any point in baking it at home when it's so inexpensive and readily available just about everywhere? I'm curious to know your thoughts.

S